phpBB Hosting

phpBB Hosting

What is phpBB Hosting a nutshell?

PHP Bulletin Board (phpBB) is an increasingly popular Internet forum software solution. It was developed using PHP and is able to use most popular database systems. Given that phpBB runs on PHP, the phpBB hosting solution should have PHP parsing capabilities and must support at least one of the following database systems: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MSSQL, Oracle, SQLite, Firebird. Benefits and disadvantages of PHP also apply to phpBB hosting.

PHP, as a scripting language, is known for its remarkable speed and performance. phpBB inherits this trait as well. This makes phpBB a more reliable choice as compared to other Internet forum solutions written in other server-side scripting languages. phpBB boasts having the most number of supported databases compared to other forum solutions written in PHP. This makes deploying your forum solution flexible. You can opt to reuse an existing database installation, or choose and install a new one based on your budget and requirements. One notable disadvantage of phpBB is that it may not be enough out-of-the-box. Unlike its closest competitor, vBulletin, phpBB may require plugins to have additional functionality depending on your Internet forum requirements. phpBB is also free software, which is a trade-off in itself. You are free to use phpBB in your forum solution, but there is no format support channel for you to contact in case you run into trouble. You will have to search for solutions on the Internet or browse support forums for people who have solved similar issues. First released in 2000, phpBB is also relatively older than its competitors. Its implementation may be more stable than others but its feature set is smaller than its younger competitors.

Should you consider phpBB hosting? The following questions may guide you to your answer:

1. Are you willing to use the free solutions, PHP and phpBB, in your Internet forum solution?
2. Do you have or will you able to produce any of the following compatible database systems: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MSSQL, Oracle, SQLite, Firebird?
3. Does phpBB have all the functionalities you require for your forum solution? Or are there available phpBB plugin that can support your requirements?

If you answered “yes” to these guide questions, then phpBB hosting might be the ideal solution for your Internet forum service.